The Throw Away
by Rebanut
Summary: The team is on the trail of a serial killer of young children from around the country. Will they be able to stop him before he claims his next victim?
1. Chapter 1

**THE THROW AWAY**

**By: Rebanut**

**This story is a bit dark, it has a very serious story line to it. Sadly, it's based on something that happened to someone close to me. It's something that's haunted me since I was a child, and I have finally found a venue for it. I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think, but as always, please be nice.**

**As always, I do NOT own ANY part of Sue Thomas FBEYE… no matter how much I want to. This is just for fun and the enjoyment of the STFBE fans.**

**Chapter 1**

The sun was just peeking above the horizon, already bright yellow with tinges of orange. The early morning light shone through the bare windows of Sue Thomas and Lucy Dotson's apartment. It was unseasonable warm for early March in the capitol city so the two best friends had decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and start their spring cleaning early. The pair had worked tirelessly from early in the morning, cleaning every nook and cranny of their apartment.

The windows were open to allow the warm breeze entrance into their home. It made everything feel fresh and summery. The problem was, it was also giving the friends cabin fever!

"What do you say, lunch?" Sue asked.

"**Hungry**?" Lucy asked. Sue shook her head yes, and Lucy smiled in agreement. "How about lunch in the park with Levi?" Lucy suggested.

"That sounds good." Sue said as she climbed down from the step ladder she was standing on to reach the top shelves of their dish cabinet. "Done!" she announced. Lucy shook her finger "no" and pointed to the curtain she'd just finished ironing. The pair worked together to get the new window cover up on the wall.

"Now, we're done!" Lucy said smiling.

They each grabbed a sweater, and a ball, called to Levi as they quickly walked to the door.

Levi ran happily around a fence in doggie area of his favorite park. He played with other dogs and their toys, and even shared his favorite ball with a couple of his canine pals. His human companions sat on a bench outside the fence enjoying their lunches. They chatted about local upcoming events, work and Jack.

"Did you happen to notice a certain adorable coworker of ours yesterday? He couldn't take his eyes off of you. I think he liked that dress you had on." Lucy teased.

"Well, I know that Bobby likes the color purple." Sue teased back.

"I'm not talking about Bobby and you know it!" Lucy scolded. They both laughed. "Why can't you just accept the fact that Jack Hudson is crazy in love with you?" Lucy began. Sue blushed and began to protest, but Lucy beat her to the punch. "I know, I know, you're only friends. You keep telling yourself that, I'm pretty sure you're almost convinced of it." Lucy said giving her best friend 'the' look.

"Luce…" Sue said, protesting. "You know as well as I do, Jack and I can't ever be more than we are now. There's really no point in even talking about it." Sue stated.

"Sue, how can you just sit there and be in love with that man and never act on those feelings?" Lucy asked.

"Because there isn't anything TO do about nothing. We're just friends." Sue said.

"Speaking of hotties… here comes one now." Lucy said giggling. Sue turned to see none other than Jack Hudson jogging up the path leading to them. He seemed to be casually looking around for someone. "Hmmm." Lucy said softly. She tapped Sue on the shoulder. "Ever wonder why he jogs in the park near our apartment instead of the one near his own place?" Lucy said with a suggestive smirk on her face. Sue blushed a deep red. "Hi Jack!" Lucy called out to him.

Jack noticed his friends sitting on the bench near the dog enclosure and smiled big as he waved to them. He seemed almost relieved to see them. He jogged up to them smiling.

"Hi. What are you ladies doing in the park this afternoon? Enjoying the beautiful day?" Jack said, trying to act casual.

"Something like that." Lucy said smirking at the both of them.

"We're taking a lunch break from spring cleaning. What are you doing on our side of town?" Lucy asked coyly. Jack picked up on the comment, but didn't say anything. He also noticed as Sue smacked Lucy playfully in the arm.

"Just out for a jog." Jack answered.

"Really? Hmmm, don't you have a park closer to your house?" Lucy asked teasingly. Sue gave her dagger eyes, and Lucy took the hint to quit, and make her leave.

"I think I'm going to head back and catch the news. See you later?" She said to Sue. Sue shook her head yes. Lucy took Levi with her and walked back to the apartment, leaving Jack and Sue alone to talk. She turned one last time to check out what her best friend and her love interest were doing.

"Sorry about that." Sue offered.

Jack laughed and shook his head "It's ok. She ok today? She seems a bit… over the top I guess would describe it." Jack asked curiously.

"Too much dust I think." Sue offered. "So, what are you doing all the way over here?" Sue asked.

"I just started out jogging and found myself here." Jack said. "I guess I'm on auto pilot. Are you guys done with your cleaning?" he asked.

"Not really. We got a lot done for today… I think we just have the hall clos…" Sue stopped. Jack's eyes had nearly glazed over. "You don't really care, do you?" She asked.

"Sorry, spring cleaning and I aren't exactly friends. I just pay the cleaning company down the street from me to take care of it… sorry." Jack said smirking.

"So, besides jogging, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Sue asked.

"Well, I was hoping to have dinner with a good friend." Jack said. "Interested?" He smiled at her, offering her his hand from the bench.

"I'd love to… but I need a shower, and to change." Sue explained.

"How's 7 sound?" Jack asked.

"Sounds perfect." She answered. Jack walked her back to the apartment and said goodbye as she walked up the stairs.

"What time is he picking you up?" Lucy asked as Sue opened the door.

"7… were you sitting there with binoculars?" Sue teased.

"No, but I figured he was going to ask you out when he showed up in our park, and looked like he was looking for someone…" Lucy answered with a smile on her face.

"Come on, let's finish up." Sue said as she picked up the paper towels and the glass cleaner and headed to the front windows." Sue sprayed the window pane and tried to act casual as she looked to see if Jack was still out on her step. Lucy noticed and just smiled. The girls finished up the windows and the closet.

"Go take your shower, I'm going to try to catch the weather." Lucy said.

A little while had gone by, and Sue emerged from her bedroom wearing a tight pair of jeans and a lavender blouse and her hair down- just the way Jack likes it.

"…The story we were following from the very beginning, has ended on a sad note." A voice came from the television. "Five year old Ally Mattea's body was found this morning, just 5 miles from her house, one mile over the Oklahoma border in Texas. The police are not giving any details to the condition of her body or how she died, but are calling her death suspicious." The voice concluded.

"How sad."Lucy commented, more to herself than Sue.

"What was that Luc?" Sue asked.

"Oh, sorry. I was just commenting on the news anchor's story. They found that little girl that was missing from Oklahoma." Lucy said, sadly.

"I take it from the look on your face, it wasn't a good outcome?" Sue asked, afraid of the answer.

"No." Was all Lucy said. "Crossing state lines makes it a federal case, doesn't it?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. We won't end up with it." Sue said. "I feel bad for her family, those poor parents, what they must be going through right now." Sue said, tearing up. "I can't even imagine."

"I pray we never do..." Lucy said as her voice trailed off.


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHORS NOTE:

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I need to explain a bit though. The murders in this story are based on what has happened in the US over the past few months that I read and hear about in the news, thankfully, NOT something from my past. There is another part of the mystery that hasn't been revealed yet, that is my ghost I'm facing. As always, good or bad, let me know what you think... but please, be nice about it! As writers, we appreciate honest feedback about our stories from those of you who take the time to read them. Hope you enjoy!

**CHAPTER TWO**

Precisely at seven, the bell rang. Lucy didn't even need to check, she knew it was Jack. Jack smiled in Sue's direction.

"Hi." He smiled sweetly at her.

"Hi yourself." Sue returned.

"You look very pretty." Jack complimented.

"Thanks." Sue blushed.

"Ok you two, go have fun. Behave yourselves!" Lucy kidded. They both gave her 'the' look.

Jack's hand landed on the small of Sue's back as it always did. They walked to his car without a word. Sue didn't feel the least bit awkward by the silence, but for the first time, she actually gave some thought to the fact that his hand did always rest on her lower back when they walked anywhere, and he was always a gentleman by opening the doors for her. Did he do that for everyone, or was it just for her? She could feel her cheeks turn a bit warmer with the last thoughts. Sue was grateful for the darkness that was beginning to surround them.

They drove to "their" restaurant. As they walked inside, they were greeted by the owners Maria and Angelo. Both were very sweet people who instantly took you in and make you feel like family from the minute you meet them.

"What's good tonight?" Jack asked Angelo.

"Everything... The chicken parm especially." He chuckled.

"I'll take an order of that with ziti." Jack said.

"And for the lady?" Angelo asked.

"Hmm, that sounds yummy. I'll have the same." Sue said. A few minutes past and Maria brought them out a basket of Italian bread, a beer for Jack and ice water with lemon for Sue.

"Can I get you anything else Honey?" She asked.

"No thank you, Maria." Jack said. Sue shook her head in agreement with Jack.

"OK, your food will be out in a few minutes." She said, walking back into the kitchen area. Maria stopped long enough to sneak one last look at her favorite non couple. She made a mental note to try to change that.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Not really. I think Lucy and I might finish up the spring cleaning. Why?" Sue asked.

"Thought maybe you'd want to do something." Jack said hopefully.

"What did you have in mind?" Sue asked, liking the idea of being with Jack.

"I thought we could take a ride to the zoo. I haven't been there in forever. We could have a picnic, make a day of it." Jack said innocently.

"The zoo?" Sue asked smirking.

"What's wrong with the zoo?" Jack asked, faking hurt.

"Nothing. Just not what I was expecting." She said with a slight giggle.

"What did you expect?" Jack asked, beginning to be intrigued.

"I don't know... Just not what we usually do." She said, trying to finally get out of the conversation.

"Come on, if you're lucky, I'll buy you some cotton candy." Jack said trying to bribe Sue into agreeing.

Maria, thankfully, interrupted their banter.

"Here ya go sweetie." She said putting Jack's plate in front of him. "And yours hon." Putting Sue's in front of her. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Parmesan cheese?" Jack asked.

"You don't like parmesan cheese." Sue stated.

"No, but you do." Jack said, smiling at her. Her cheeks turned a light pink almost instantly.

Maria brought back the cheese, and refills of drinks for the couple. "You two remind me of me and Angelo..." Maria said winking at them. "You know each other so well."

Both looked away, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feelings that innocent enough comment had created.

The two began to eat their meals with again, an uncomfortable silence between them. Jack picked up on it, and hoped it wasn't something he'd said. He thought for a moment that it was probably more what Maria had just said. He was suddenly aware of how right Maria was. They did know each other so well. They are, after all, best friends... friends... Jack found himself getting caught up in his train of thought, and knew it wasn't the time.

"What's got you so quiet all of a sudden?" He asked, shaking away the thoughts of him and Sue.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry, nothing really." She said, trying desperately to sound believable. "I was just thinking of this news story that Lucy had on earlier." She said with a sad sigh.

"What news story?" Jack asked.

"About that little girl from Oklahoma who was found murdered in Texas." Sue said, her heart full of sadness.

"I haven't heard about that. Doubt we'll end up with that though." Jack said.

"I know, that's what I told Lucy too." She agreed. The silence returned.

"Dessert?" Jack asked hopefully.

Sue scrunched her nose and rubbed her stomach. "I couldn't eat another bite." She said. She didn't want their evening to end, but was late, and it was just time to leave. "Rain check?" She asked hopefully.

Jack smiled and agreed.

It seemed like their ride back to her apartment was faster than normal. The night air had turned brisk. It felt, once again like late winter. Jack pulled up to the front of Sue's place, and turned off the engine. They sat and made small talk. Both knew they had to part, neither wanted to. Sue rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them.

"Let me see." Jack said, as he took her hands in his. He rubbed his hands over hers gently. She smiled. When her eyes met his, she suddenly became nervous. Their eyes were locked on each other's. Suddenly the tension between them was obvious. Jack could feel himself being pulled toward Sue.

"I-I should go." Sue said suddenly, and got out of the car.

"Sue..." Jack called as he rushed to catch up to her.

Just as she got the door open, Jack got there. He tapped her on the shoulder. Sue jumped.

"**Sorry**. I didn't mean to scare you." Jack said. "I... I just wanted to make sure you got in alright." Jack said, making a lame excuse. It even sounded lame, and Jack knew it. Sue did too. She smiled at the thought that he was just as uncomfortable, and nervous.

"I'm fine Jack." She said, easing the moment.

"I know... makes me feel better." He said with his trademark smile. "Tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

"What time?" She asked playfully.

"How's...Noon?" We can have lunch, then the zoo?" Jack asked.

Sue shook her head yes, smiling back. "See you." She said as he turned to leave.

"Good night." Jack said.

"**Good night**." She responded, and headed inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

The following afternoon, at 12:00, Jack pulled up to Sue's apartment for their non-date at the zoo. He knocked on her door, and heard Lucy call for him to come in. As he entered the apartment, he was pushed against the door, forcing it closed, and was surprised with a kiss.

"Levi!" Sue exclaimed, pulling her companion down from Jack's chest. "I'm so sorry." Sue apologized.

"It's OK. I guess his feelings are stronger than I realized." Jack joked. "I love you too, boy." Jack said with a chuckle scratching his ears.

"What?" Sue asked, shocked by what she'd just read from his lips.

"Uh... I was just telling Levi that I didn't think we could ever be more than good friends." Jack laughed.

"Oh." Sue said, somewhat relieved, yet disappointed at the same time.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Sue said as she walked past Jack and out the door. She noticed, Jack put his hand on her lower back as always. She smiled at the thought.

"You look nice." Sue complimented, looking him up and down. She admired his physique that was obvious under the tight t-shirt and jeans he was wearing.

"Thanks. You too." Jack returned the compliment, smirking at the fact that Sue noticed him. As they walked down the stairs, Jack let his eyes wander along Sue's back side. He quickly brought his eyes back up as he realized they were approaching the bottom of the staircase. He smirked to himself, and shook away the improper thoughts he was having. He opened the door to his car, allowing her to climb in. They began to drive, chit chatting about their day ahead, and what they wanted to do.

"I looked into it, and they have paddle boats, interested?" Jack asked.

"Ooo, that sounds like fun." Sue said. She was quiet for a long moment, the suddenly burst with excitement. "A petting zoo!" She laughed.

"Petting zoo?" Jack said with a little bit of disbelief in his voice.

"Yes! I used to LOVE the petting zoo when I was a kid."

"No pun intended I'm sure..." Jack started and chuckled.

Sue looked at his curiously.

"Kid... baby goat?" Jack said with a wide smile on his lips.

Sue just rolled her eyes at the bad joke. "Oh, Jack! That was baaaaad." She said. Both started to laugh. Just as they did, Jack's cell phone rang. As he reached for it, Sue's Black Berry vibrated.

"Hudson." Jack said, listening intently to the person on the phone. "Yup. We'll be right there." He said, hanging up his phone.

"No zoo today, I guess." Sue said, holding her Black Berry up for Jack to see.

"Guess not." Jack said disappointed. "Wonder what's going on that they're calling everyone in on a Sunday?" Jack asked.

"No info either?" Sue asked.

"Nope. You either?" He asked. Sue shook her head no. A quick turnaround, and a few minutes later they were at the office. One by one the team began to file in. Bobby and D were already there, Tara was just getting settled in as Sue and Jack walked through the door together.

"You two, together, on a NON work day?" D teased. "How shocking!" He continued. Jack glared at him, Sue only lightly blushed.

Myles walked in, taking off his jacket and walking to his desk. Lucy soon followed.

"Where were you two off to today?" Bobby asked teasingly.

"The zoo." Sue answered excitedly.

"The zoo?" D asked in disbelief.

"What's wrong with the zoo?" Jack asked. Everyone laughed.

D's phone rang, he took the call and walked into another office as the rest of the team tried to figure out what was going on. It was only a few weeks earlier that D had finally been given the title of 'fearless leader', well, at least that's what the team liked to call their new boss. The past few days the bull pen was alive with activity. It seemed that as spring sprung, so did the terrorists. There were tips coming in from all sources about possible cells, attacks, or even just empty threats. Jack was promoted to D's right hand man- he was the first one to get any information of credible issues. He and Sue had been working on tracking down some stolen diamonds from local jewelry stores that they believe were being used to finance some sleeper cell activities.

"I wonder if there was a serious threat discovered." Tara remarked as she turned on her computer.

"I haven't heard anything. Anyone else?" Jack asked.

"No." They all said in unison.

The chatter got louder as they tossed around possible reasons for the impromptu meeting.

"Listen up people. I need everyone in the conference room, right now." He said, walking toward the door. He turned back to Sue's desk, "Levi, you too Boy." They all picked up paper and pens and followed D into the conference room.

"What's up D?" Jack asked the question on everyone's minds.

"We've all been reassigned." D started.

"What?" Was the collective gasp in the room.

"Before you all panic, no one is actually leaving this office. We have been assigned to a special task force. Well, you have. I'm sticking with my duties following the usual bad guys around town with some other personal. You will be under the command of Ted Garrett." D said. Everyone in the room broke into smiles. The bureau has put together a task force to look into the kidnappings and murders of the young children throughout the US." The smiles quickly faded. "They wanted our best, I'm giving them our best. Now, Ted will be here in a few days, he had some things to finish before he could make the trip to town. Until then, Jack you will be in charge. You're going to be lead on this. Everything that comes into this office in way of kidnapping information will cross your desk first. I want you up to date on every detail." Jack shook his head yes.

"What do we have so far?" Jack asked.

"You're going to regret asking that question my friend." D answered, as he moved away from a stack of boxes sitting on the floor behind him.

"Inside each box is every piece of evidence, every fiber, every detail, and every witness statement from every abduction. There are family photos, and crime scene photos. I will tell you, I've looked at them, some of them are graphic." D said. "No one will make any statement to the press, friends, relatives, nothing. Is that understood? We don't have much to go on, and what we do have, we're hoping to use as 'the key factor' if we ever find a suspect. I'll leave you to it." D said as he left the room.

"Alright people, I don't have to tell you how important it is we work fast. But work carefully; we don't want to miss any detail. If you find something, say something. Even if it seems trivial, we'll note it and check it. Tara, work your magic- start comparing details. Lucy, I need you to help sort through the details with Myles, Bobby, Sue and I. If we need something, we'll go get it. If some information is missing, find it. Let's go!" Jack said, plowing head first into a box. Each team member did the same. Hours passed, details were sorted and Tara was combining them. D was right; some of the pictures were graphic.

"How can anyone do this to a child? What was she? Five or six?" Sue asked.

"Sicko's in this world Sue, sicko's." Bobby answered.

The team worked relentlessly for days tracking down every hint of a clue. Tara had compiled a large chart, but nothing seemed to connect the victims. Jack called a meeting with the team.

"OK, what do we have so far? " Jack asked.

Tara started running down the facts of the case. On the surface, it seemed the only common factors were the general age of all of the children and they were taken from their homes during the middle of the night.

"Tara? How about if we eliminate things? Start putting things that are less likely to be a determining factor, on the back burner for now. We could focus on the important details. We seem to have too much to filter." Lucy suggested.

"That's a great idea." Bobby agreed.

"OK. What do we know that doesn't seem to matter at all?" Tara asked.

"Parents jobs? They all work at different levels, different fields." Myles offered.

"Parents schooling, again different levels, different schools." Bobby said.

"Money?" Lucy asked.

"Nope, same thing. Financially, the families are all over the place. Before you ask, no large life insurance policies on any of them either. The largest was $10K and that was offered through the father's employer, pretty typical." Tara answered.

"What about the kids?" Jack asked. "Did any of them have anything in common?"

"Not really. There are 9 victims, 7 girls, 2 boys. All between the ages of 3 and 7. 4 are brunettes, 2 with black hair, 1 redhead, and 2 blondes. Their weights were between 30 lbs and 65 lbs. They were all wearing pajamas, which makes sense since they were all taken at night. One of the boys had football and the other race cars. The girls had princesses or TV characters. They all liked the TV shows that 99% of American kids like these days for their age group. The schools were all of different names. I had thought, maybe a link was the fact the schools were all president named schools, but the last one went to Maple Elementary. Sorry guys." Tara said, deflated. One by one Tara took those elements that didn't _seem_ to matter off the main screen.

"There isn't much left up there." Myles noted.

"We have to keep going." Sue urged. "We still have one victim alive, or at least not found yet. We don't want to add to either list we have going." She said, desperately.

"Sue's right, let's keep digging." Jack said, as he picked up another folder.

The hours passed, turning into days. There were no new leads, no new bodies, and no new kidnappings. The team was grateful for the last two. They knew though that time was running out if the latest victim from Delaware was to be found alive.

"Hey Tara? I noticed something. There seems to be a geographical pattern, except for the first two, he seems to be moving North to South, then East, then North again." Bobby pointed out. Tara put up a map of the US and pinpointed the locations of the abductions from victim to victim. Bobby was right! The first real clue.

"Great work Bobby!" Jack said, smiling for the first time in the days since they'd started this case.

"Not really, we haven't found the killer yet, or the last little girl." Bobby said, still down.

"No, but it's one step forward." Jack said.

"Is there any pattern to the number of states between the north and south victims? How about mileage?" Jack asked.

"States, no, but the mileage I'll have to check exact numbers." Tara answered.

"They are being left just over the nearest states border though. That might be something." Myles added.

"Have you noticed the bodies? They're seemingly tossed aside, like a piece of trash, but not..." Lucy commented.

"Why are they covered if they were just tossed away?" Bobby asked.

"Good point." Tara said.

"In this one, he made him look like he was asleep, like... he was tucked in." He paused, taking in what he just said. "Almost like with each one, he's becoming more and more caring." Jack commented shaking his head in disbelief.

"But why take them across state lines?" Myles thought out loud.

"Maybe he's taunting us?" Bobby suggested.

"Are you sure it's a 'he'?" Myles asked.

"No Sheila I know could do that, not to little children. Some adults, I can see it happening to, but not the innocent little ones." Bobby answered.

"Good point." Jack said, looking back at his folder. "Lucy, get a hold of Emerson. See if he can profile this for us. Maybe he can give us an idea of who we're looking for." Jack suggested.

"This is just another thing to take into consideration, how the bodies are being found. It's almost like the killer regrets his actions in some way." Tara suggested.

"Or it's personal." Jack answered back.

"Is it possible that the killer could have known every one of the victims?" Lucy asked.

"Jack? The first victim, was there a body of water near the home?" Sue asked.

"Yeah, a lake, about a half a mile down the road. They dredged it when they were looking for her body. Why?" Jack asked.

"Because the case that Bobby's looking at and the one Lucy has, both have bodies of water. Could they all have some kind of body of water near them?" She asked. Finally, another clue!


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Sorry for the delay... This story is all over the place in my head and on scrap paper stuffed into a notebook. I'm trying to work it out... keep reading! Let me know what you think!**

Jack picked up Bobby at his house, getting ready for the team to start out on the search for what they think is a serial killer on a nationwide killing spree. Bobby popped up the trunk and threw his bags in on others already stuffed in the small space. As he crawled into the front seat, he noticed Tara set up with her lap top, tapping away furiously on the keys.

"What's up Sparky?" Bobby teased. He smiled back at Tara. "Hey there Love." He said winking at her. She didn't look up at him, but smiled at his comment. She knew he was flashing his dimples in her direction, and she was much safer to keep her eyes glued to the computer screen.

"HI Bobby." She simply said, blushing from the attention he was showing her.

"What 'ya doin?" He asked, nodding his head toward her work that was spread over the entire back seat.

"Working..." Tara replied, her voice faded as she continued to click on the keys.

"On..." Bobby led.

"Ummm... I'll explain when we get to the office." She mumbled.

The three walked into the office together, Tara still looking at the computer screen. Jack called the team into the conference room.

"OK, today, as we all know, is field trip day. Originally, I had said we would split up and each take a case, but I have enlisted some outside help from the office, and now we're teaming up. Does everyone know Mark Silva and Christine Bryant? Mark and Chris are joining our team for a couple weeks." The team exchanged pleasantries with the newest members.

"The teams are as follows:" Jack continued.

"Bobby and Tara, you'll take the first 2 murders. You've got Colorado and Oklahoma. Myles and Lucy, you've got Tennessee and Kentucky. Christine and Mark you're going to West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Sue and I will take Connecticut and the one from a Rhode Island." Jack said, looking down at his notes.

"Rhode Island?" Myles asked.

"Yeah, we got another call. A little girl was kidnapped from her bed in the middle of the night last night. That's why Sue and I are headed there first." Jack explained.

"Shouldn't we have more people there then?" Myles argued.

"Probably, but we need to get a hold on this. Sue and I will take lead on it, and if we find something we'll call you in. I have a backup team ready to roll if we need them. The state and local police are investigating. There are already some FBI involved, doing some leg work. We'll contact them when we're in the area." Jack explained.

"Jack, maybe Myles is right, we should have more of the team investigating the current case. Have they found her body?" Sue asked.

"No, not yet. We're praying we find her first, alive." Jack said softly. "Look we need to know who did this, and the best way for us to do that is to put together every piece of evidence we have, and find more... we have to build the puzzle. I don't think more agents will make this guy just suddenly decide to show his face." Jack explained more. "The reason I want Sue on this one is the little girl is deaf. I'm hoping if we find her alive, Sue will be able to communicate with her, get her to talk. I want this bastard." Jack mumbled.

"Me too." Sue agreed. Everyone looked at her stunned. "What? He said it, I just agreed. And, you know, you all agree too." Sue said.

"So, Tara has been working on a program to help us out during this investigation. I want everyone to use this, daily.

"What's the program for?" Bobby asked.

"It's to filter all the details of the case. I need to compile all the details and compare them." Tara explained.

"Were you able to come up with the list of questions?" Jack asked.

"What sort of questions?" Lucy asked.

"What's that for?" Bobby asked.

"I did." Tara answered. "Things we want you to be asking when you talk to certain people. We're trying to compile the same information. There are too many holes in what we know." Tara explained.

"Isn't that what we do when we interview the witnesses and families?" Myles asked a bit taken aback.

"Yes, but no." Tara started. "Everyone has different styles of interviewing, as we all saw in the boxes of paperwork. If you remember the clue Sue spotted, the water ways, only three had a notation about any water in the area." She continued.

"In some there's no mention at all about what happened during the day proceeding the abduction." Sue added.

"It just seems like you don't trust our interviewing skills.

"Not at all. You're all the best in the bureau, that's why you were chosen for this task force. We have too much information, but not enough at the same time. We need to get some of the same questions answered." Jack defended. "Tara explain your program, please."

"I've created a spread sheet with all the details from all the murders. I'm making it interactive so we can all add details to it. I've created a filter to compare those details, and anything that shows in every case, or even a majority of them, it will ping me. If there's a detail missing, I can get whoever is on the case to ask that specific question."

"I feel like a kid on his first newspaper assignment to interview the new vice principal." Bobby spat out.

"I'm not trying to make anyone feel that way." Jack began.

"Look, Sue came up with a possible clue right? The waterway near 3 of the murders, but not in one of the other cases is that mentioned. It could mean, there aren't any. But it could also mean that no one thought it was an important detail to include." Tara explained.

"Take the questions, please make sure they get asked. Please, go with your gut, it's served you all well so far." Jack added.

"I'll email everyone the link for the spread sheet. Please, make sure you put the info in as soon as you can. If we start seeing a pattern, it could be a starting point for Jack and Sue.

"I hate to rush, but I only rented the van for 3 hours." Lucy said as she picked up her carryon bag, and purse.

"On your way out, please take your packets." Jack said, handing them out.

Once all were in the van, Jack began to explain that everything they would need for the trip was in the envelope. "Plane tickets, hotel reservation information, car rental info, and contact info for your leg of the case are all included." Jack said.

Everyone unloaded their luggage and rushed to the gates to catch their flights. Sue and Jack turned in the rental van, and got settled in for their flight. Levi seemed right at home waiting for their plane to be called. Their flight was called and they were boarded.

"How did you manage to find 3 seats together, and convince them to give us one for Levi?" Sue asked.

Jack just smiled. I had nothing to do with it." Jack chuckled. "You know Levi, he has a way with the ladies."

"I hope he travels better than I do." She said honestly. Jack looked at her curiously.

"Don't like to fly?" He asked.

"Not really." She admitted as she shook her head no. The engines began to whir. Jack looked at Sue concerned, but she didn't react at all. It was then, he realized it was the motion that must bother her, not the sound of the whirring engine since she can't hear it. He reached past Levi and took Sue's hand in his. He entwined his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb trying to comfort Sue as the plane began to taxi down the run way. As the jet gained speed, and began to pull back, creating a g force feeling, Sue squeezed his hand tight. Jack smiled, still holding her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! As always, I don't own any part of Sue Thomas... **

**This is a LONG chapter, but I felt it needed to be...**

As the teams began to land at their destinations, and arrangements were made, they contacted Tara and Garrett giving their updates. Tara had emailed the link to the program to every team member. She'd set up Skype on all the laptops so they could have nightly recap meetings all together. Jack set the meeting time for 7:30 in an email. The email read:

"_Hi All. Hope all your flights were safe, and you got settled in all right. I want you guys to talk about the details with each other, but especially your partner. Go with your gut, it's served you well so far. Nightly Skype meetings every night at 7:30. Good Luck!"_

Tara and Bobby headed right to the home of the first victim. From first glance of the road the house sat on, it was seemingly ordinary. There were trees of all types, sizes and colors, and similar descripted houses that lined both sides of the road. As Bobby drove, Tara browsed over the files. She filled Bobby in on what type of people the Dawson's were. Doreen Dawson, a 38 year old speech therapist who worked out of an office about 15 miles from her home. Her husband Steve is a 39 year old owner of his own construction company. The economy had taken a bite out of his business, but since it had been established over 30 years earlier when his father owned it, it was withstanding the times. Their marriage had not withstood the stress of losing their daughter. Shortly after she was found dead, the couple split with Mrs. Dawson staying at the house with custody of their dog and son Steven Jr. After a quick review of the family, Tara started to look around and take in the sights. She began to notice fading yellow ribbons. Sadness began to settle around Tara as she thought they were for soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Suddenly pink ribbons started to join the yellow ones. The closer the pair got to their destination, the more abundant the pink ribbons became. They were tied to tree trunks, hanging from branches, wrapped around mailboxes and fences. There were pieces of faded, weather beaten, homemade signs tucked in bushes, and some still hanging from their original perch. There were even a few deflated lady bug and flower Mylar balloons tangled in the over growth along the side property to the young victim's home. Some of the poster boards were still clear enough to be read. All had an inspiring message for the innocent victim.

The unassuming beige sedan rental car slowed to a stop in the driveway of the Dawson family. Little Emily Dawson was seemingly the first victim of the mad man who was focusing on young helpless victims and spreading his reign of terror throughout the entire United States. Tara took note of her surroundings. She could see that Emily's parents took great care of their home. The yard was pristine, not a thing out of place. She even thought if she were to get out a measuring tape, each blade of grass would be exactly the same height. Flowers of pinks, yellows, and purples sprouted in handfuls at the end of the drive and around the wood post mailbox. Bushes lined along the property's edge drawing their attention directly to the front door. Along the front windows, there were rose bushes of all colors. A row of solar lamps lined the driveway, and another along the walk way. On the right side of the bottom step was a cat planter. It was obviously painted by a child- a school project she thought to herself. How odd she thought, there were peas growing out of it, just beginning to wrap themselves around the wrought iron banister that framed the staircase.

Bobby approached the house, with Tara tucked close by his side. He rang the bell, and instantly heard a dog barking from the other side of the large door. A young boy, about 8 Bobby figured, answered the door. Bobby smiled down at the boy, starting to show him his badge. Suddenly a woman's voice screaked toward the boy.

"What have I told you about answering the door?!" She nearly screamed. "Do you want to end up like your sister?" She continued yelling at the now sobbing youngster.

"N-no ma'am." He whispered through the tears and between sniffles.

"Go to your room, and don't come out until you realize how dangerous what you did really is!" The woman hollered at the retreating boy. Standing behind the glass door was a woman in her late thirties. She was as well manicured as her yard. Her pixie cut blonde hair was perfectly set up, make up just so. Under any other circumstance she would be easily mistaken for a high powered executive out for blood, and the corner office. "Can I help you with something?" She asked snidely.

"G'day, Ma'am. I'm Bobby Manning, this is Tara Williams. We're from the FBI. We're investigating your daughter's disappearance." Bobby said, flashing his trademark smile accompanied by his ice melting dimples.

"Don't you mean murder?" Mrs. Dawson asked with her tongue as sharp as a new steak knife.

"Yes Ma'am. We're sorry for your loss." Tara added quickly, hoping that a woman's sympathy would soften the path.

"So why all of a sudden are you back?" She asked, a bit less tart.

"We believe you little girl was the first victim of a string of murder victims across the country." Bobby explained.

"Well, I talked to the state police, local police, FBI agents... hell, I even spoke with 3 different television stations trying to get our story out to find my sweet angel. A college kid riding his bike to work one morning found her on the side of the road..." She hesitated, trying to regain her composure. "I'm sorry... but I just don't understand what this is going to accomplish." She added.

"We're trying to find the missing piece of information. We believe the murders are all connected, but we can't pin point how. We're hoping to go over the details of the actual crime, as well as the days before her abduction." Tara explained.

"We have the transcripts from the interviews of you and your husband, but there are holes, and lots of them." Bobby started.

"We didn't withhold any information. Why would we do that?" Mrs. Dawson asked. She looked at Tara and Bobby in disbelief and asked, "You... You don't think that Steven or I had _anything_ to do with our little girl's murder, do you?" She asked almost shocked. Bobby shook his head no.

"Can we come in? Do you have a few minutes?" Tara asked.

"Sure." She said blandly as she ushered them to the kitchen. "Coffee?" She asked. Both accepted a cup, and sat down.

"Was that your son that answered the door?" Bobby asked, trying to break the ice.

"Yes. That's Steven Jr. He's almost 9, but thinks he's Superman." She explained. Bobby smiled understandingly.

"Mind if I go have a chat with him?" Bobby asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Go ahead. His room is up the stairs the second one on the right." She answered. Mrs. Dawson stared at Tara for a long second. As Bobby walked down the hall to the boy's room, pictures on the wall caught his eye. It was obvious the family spent a lot of time together. A lot of the photos were memories of past trips. There was one of the group white water rafting and another of the family sailing. They didn't seem to let anything slow them down. Framed alongside of each other were action shots of Steven Jr. playing baseball and basketball. Next to them were framed still shots of Emily swimming. Bobby smiled, thinking back to his youth, and how, even now, his mom has pictures of him as a youngster dressed in his rugby uniform, with mud covering nearly every inch of him, including his dimples. He gently tapped on the boy's door. He could hear the shuffle of metal and plastic. Bobby instantly pictured him stuffing his favorite Matchbox cars into a box and under his bed, thinking it was his mother coming to talk to him. He could also hear the young man sniffling. Bobby's heart went out to him. He couldn't imagine what he was going through at this point.

"Come in." He answered softly. There was a light squeak of bed springs as Bobby turned the handle. His mind flashed him back to his own childhood, and how he would try to not get caught playing after he was put to bed at night.

"Hi Steven. Mind if I come in?" He asked.

"Nah... have a seat." He said pointing to his desk chair. Bobby smiled. "You here 'bout my sister?" Steven asked softly, wiping the last of the tears and sniffles away.

"Yup." Bobby answered. "My name's Bobby Manning, I'm with the FBI." The youngster's eyes grew big.

"You're really with the FBI?" He smiled, taking Bobby's badge in his hand, running his fingers over the top of it. "Cool." He said, finally allowing a small smile to curve up the end of his lips.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Bobby asked. The boy shrugged his shoulders, nodding yes. "You and your sister close?" He asked, picking up a picture of Steven and Emily together in the snow.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, we fought, but she's my sister..." He paused for a minute, shaking his head "..._was_ my sister." He said correcting himself. He found himself choking up, so Bobby changed the subject some.

"Looks like you guys did a lot together, as a family." Bobby lead.

"Yeah, we used to... before Emily disappeared. Now Mom's afraid to let me go to the bathroom at home by myself." He made a face, like kids do when they don't like something. "I get it, I really do... but nuthin's gonna happen to me." He said strongly.

"That's probably what she thought about both you and your sister before she was kidnapped." Bobby tried to explain.

"Yeah..." His voice trailed off.

"Do you remember the day your sister disappeared?" the seasoned FBI agent asked.

"Yeah... I'll never forget it... how could I... worst day of my life." He said, letting his guard down enough to let a lone tear fall down his cheek. He wiped it quickly. "Don't tell anyone I still cry over her...k?" He asked Bobby.

"Nothing wrong with crying over your sister Bud, no shame in it." Bobby tried to reassure him. "But, no worries, I won't tell your secret."

"Thanks." He closed his eyes, tipping his head back and blowing out a slow steady breath. "I woke up the same time as normal, got up and dressed for school. It was Mom's turn to get Emily ready for school, so Dad was cooking breakfast... bacon and pancakes." He said with a chuckle.

"That's funny?" Bobby asked.

"It's the only thing that Dad knows how to make... well, at least the only think that's edible..." He broke into a fit of laughter. Bobby laughed along with him. "Sometimes he'd make them fancy by putting chocolate chips on top." He chuckled.

"What did you mean it was Mom's turn to get Emily ready for school?" Bobby asked.

Steven walked across his room, and picked up a baseball, handing it to Bobby. "I hit my first homerun with that one..." He took it from the elder's hands, replacing it with another. "Unassisted triple play with this one..." As sad look replaced the one of pride. "Emily thought to get them for me, and have the team sign this one. I never thanked her." He said sadly. Bobby sat in the chair just listening. He figured the boy just needed someone to listen to him. Finally, after a long minute of silence, the Dawson boy answered Manning's question. "Emily couldn't walk so good, she had MD... used those crutches that you put your hands thru... you know what I mean?" He asked as he gestured to explain to Bobby what he was talking about. "Mom and Dad had an agreement, every other day, they helped her. She really only needed help getting her socks on and coming down the stairs. She fell a couple times trying it herself, they decided she wasn't ready to try the stairs yet." He offered. Bobby nodding understandingly.

"Do you remember anything else?" The agent asked.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Tara was furiously writing every detail Mrs. Dawson could remember. She remembered getting her little girl dressed and ready for school. She got the kids to the bus and waited with them for the handicap bus to pick them up. Tara inquired as to why they took the handicap bus. Doreen explained her daughter had MD, and since there were no other children in the neighborhood, Steven took Emily's bus. As Mrs. Dawson got up for another cup of coffee, she offered one to Tara, which she happily accepted. Doreen Dawson's icy shell seemed to be melting some. Tara could almost see her statuesque frame slouch just a bit.

"Mrs. Dawson, do you remember anything else about that day? Did you notice if anyone seemed to follow the bus that day? Or what you did after you picked Emily up from school?" Tara paused a second. "Wait. Why didn't Steven and Emily take the bus home?" She asked.

"Oh, Steven had a baseball practice and was going with one of the dads from his team, and Weasels had a veterinarian appointment for shots that day." She explained like it wasn't an important detail. "I wasn't going to be able to wait for the bus and get to the vet's office in time, so I arranged with the school to pick her up." She continued.

"Weasels' your dog?" Tara asked innocently.

"Yes." She chuckled. "Emily said he looked like a weasel when he was a puppy, so Steven named him that. Those two were so close. I worry about him..." Her voice trailed.

Tara didn't push, knowing Doreen was hurting deep inside. It was a hurt that Tara couldn't truly understand, nor did she ever want to. Finally, she regained her composure and continued her recollection of the day.

"After the office visit, we had to run to the local pharmacy to get Weasel's medicine. We got a frozen pizza for dinner, and went back to the house." She said, staring blankly at the coffee she'd been swirling with a spoon for the better part of the conversation.

"You get your dog's medication at the local pharmacy?" Tara asked.

Mrs. Dawson giggled, realizing how silly that sounded. "Yes. Well, I go to the local department store, and get it through their pharmacy. Weasel has hyper thyroids, and they treat that with a human drug. It's simply cheaper to get it there." She laughed at a memory.

"What?" Tara urged her to share the precious memory.

"Uh, just remembering how much she loved it when the pharmacist would call her the "mom" of Weasel, and ask her to sign his HIPPA paperwork. She laughed, Tara joined in.

"Cute." Tara answered. "Do you remember _anything_ out of the ordinary? Did someone talk to Emily, someone pay more attention than he or she should have?" Tara asked.

"No, no one I can think of." She answered. "Emily talked with the pharmacist and 2 cashiers that were helping out back there, she chatted with her friend for a few minutes, and then we left. She said hello to the cashier and a lady collecting money for cancer research just outside the door. No one jumps out at me." She said frustrated.

"Do you know the names of the pharmacist and the cashiers?" Tara asked.

"Not off hand. I think one of the girls names is Carla... the other...I just don't know. It was unique though. The pharmacist is Dave- nice guy. He gives me any discounts he can to help out." She explained. "The cashier at the front of the store was named Emily... _that_ is the only reason I remember that... Em made a comment about them having the same name." She said.

"What about the lady collecting money? And her friend, from school?" Tara asked.

"Oh, no not a school friend. We see him every once in a while at the pharmacy. He's a drug rep, always gives the kids a lollipop. The lady from the charity came by the house to offer her help. She said Emily made her day when she dropped a few pennies she'd saved into the bucket to help other kids. She said that was a sign of a compassionate soul." Mrs. Dawson continued.

"Do you know her name?" Tara asked.

"No. I'm sorry, I don't remember. The police did take a statement from her though. I think it was mostly because she was one of the last people to see Emi alive." Tears began to flow down her cheeks. Tara swiped a tissue from behind her, handing it to Doreen.

"Thanks." She said, wiping her eyes and nose. "You need to find this bastard Ms. Williams. If Emily was the first victim, that means there have been others. No parent should ever have to go through what I have. I lost my daughter, my husband, my family. My life is going to the dogs in a handbag... or should I say doggie bag, and there's not much I can do about it." She said as more tears threatened to fall.

As Tara tried to make heads or tails of the details that Mrs. Dawson was giving her, Bobby was still chatting with young Steven.

"...Like what? I remember every detail... I've replayed them over in my head 10 thousand times, trying to figure how I could have saved her." The little man answered.

"Hey... don't blame yourself for this son... there is NOTHING you could have done differently to change what happened." Bobby insisted.

"Yes I could have!" He insisted getting very upset. "Maybe if I had gone with mom to the store, or if I didn't have practice, I could have gone with her to the vet to get Weasels his shots..." He began to sob uncontrollably. He fell into Bobby's arms, and the older man just held onto the younger, letting him let out his sorrow and self-blame. After what seemed a lifetime, Steven had cried himself dry eyed. He pushed himself off Bobby's chest.

"Little man, you need to let the blame go. You didn't kill your sister. I seriously doubt anything you could have done would have changed the outcome." Bobby tried to reassure him.

Steven walked to a box of tissues, taking one and wiping his nose and another for his eyes.

"Can we go over some of the things you just said? I want to make a time line... we can fill in your blanks. You up for that?" Bob asked. Steven shook his head yes, but looked at the clock.

"I have practice soon... you can come with me if you want..." He said hopefully.

"Let's see how far we get with this ok?" Bobby asked. Again, he shook his head. Bobby began detailing Steven's activities that fateful day, nearly 6 months ago now. The details he remembered were amazing.

After twenty minutes, Bobby had a good time line for Steven, and a pretty good one for his sister. She had been with him right up until he went to baseball practice. That's where his guilt was coming from. Bobby stood and stretched as Steven gathered his equipment for baseball. Bobby reached his hand out and shook young Steven Dawson's hand, realizing the boy had grown up far before his time, and nearly in front of Bobby Manning's eyes.

"Hey, Buddy... one last question." Bobby's eyes scrunched together. "Did you say that Emily's bedroom was on the second floor?" He asked.

"Yeah." He answered simply.

"Then I wonder how the kidnapper managed to get in the house, all the way up the stairs to her room?" Bobby asked.

"He didn't." Steven said softly. "That's another thing..." He said choking up. "She wanted to make a fort in the family room and camp out down there. I said OK, but I woke up and went to my own bed... my back was hurting." He said, tears running down his cheeks. "I- I th...thought she'd be OK." He said, his voice betraying him. He retreated to the bathroom. When he finally came back out, he found that Bobby had gone down stairs, but his dad was standing there. He pulled him into his arms, into a bear hug.

As Bobby rejoined the women, he raised his eyebrows in a silent yet understood question to Tara. She gave him a half smile and moved her hand off her note pad filled of scribbled notes covering every inch of the paper.

Bobby and Tara made their way out of the Dawson home, leaving their cards behind in case someone remembered something, or just needed to talk. As the car slowly rolled toward the street once more, Tara shook her head.

"What were we thinking?" Tara asked. Bobby looked at her curiously. "Volunteering for this assignment... Oh yeah!" Tara began, sarcastically. "We didn't volunteer... "She said with a deep sigh.

"It's been a long day Love. Why don't we grab a bite, and head back to the hotel for the Skype with the rest of the team, see how they're making out." Bobby offered.

"Yeah. I have a lot of details to fill into this program." Tara said letting out another deep sigh. She put her head back on the head rest, and before Bobby fully pulled out of the drive, she was asleep. Bobby glanced over at her still sleeping figure, and smiled just enough for his dimples to begin to show through.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Once again, thanks for all the awesome reviews! And, as always, I don't own ANYTHING except the story idea... ENJOY!

Myles and Lucy walked down the jet way, lugging their carry-on bags behind them. Lucy had her purse and tablet. Myles had a laptop and large carryon bag. Lucy glanced back at Myles shaking her head. She simply rolled her eyes and continued to the baggage claim area. After Myles pulled off his third bag from the conveyor belt, Lucy turned to him.

"What exactly do you have in all of those bags Myles?" She asked with a touch of distain in her voice.

"The essentials." He replied, matter-of-factly.

"Really? For who? Lady GaGa?" She commented with a chuckle.

Myles huffed toward Lucy as he picked up his suit bag. Lucy finally spotted her bag- and took it, walking toward the exit.

"Hardy har har har." He replied. "Just because we're going to a middle of nowhere town does not mean I can't still look my best." He said snootily.

"Ummm..." was Lucy's only response as she walked away from Myles letting him arrange for the car.

Lucy sat on the passenger side of the car, taking out her tablet. She started taking notes. Their first stop was the local police station. As they drove through the town, Lucy noted how busy it was. There were businesses lined alongside each other the entire length of the streets. Shoe boutiques, toy stores, and eateries nestled between industrial buildings and strip malls. The street leading to the police station was littered with people and pets. In the town square there was a fund raising doggie parade. Lucy smiled at the little children who were dressed identical to their pets. Frilly tutus and top hats could be seen for blocks. Lucy chuckled as they passed the parade. Myles just frowned.

"Oh, what? You can't say that's not the cutest thing ever?" Lucy said while laughing.

"I can, and I am." Myles retorted. Lucy grimaced and rolled her eyes. "What? You can't tell me that you find that interesting." Myles stated more than asked.

"Myles, you need to find the fun in life, you know that?" Lucy said rather disturbed by the fact he was so serious all the time. 'Hmmm, I'll show you fun... just not now... we have a killer to find.' He thought to himself.

The relatively large building sat on top a slight hill in the center of town along with the town hall. It seemed to be a 'thing' in these small towns Myles noticed. They found a parking spot in the lot to a liquor store across the street. Lucy nearly jogged up the stairs and opened the door for the winded Myles. She giggled at the fact she wasn't the least bit bothered by the 20 step climb to their first stop.

"How _do_ you run in those things? I can't fathom even trying." He stated.

"Myles, you have 20 pairs of shoes... I have 3... these are my running heels." She stated just as matter-of-factly back to him. She walked into the police station leaving him in the entry way, wondering if she was serious.

"Afternoon." The officer behind the glass offered. "Something I can help you folks with?" He asked.

"Yes, Sir. We're Lucy Dotson and Myles Leland from the FBI. We're here to speak with Officer Tedesco." Lucy answered as she and Myles produced their ID's.

The desk sergeant nodded toward them then to the bench by the door. He picked up the phone and called; who they assumed was Officer Tedesco.

"Friendly bunch, aren't they?" Lucy whispered to Myles, leaning into him as she did. Myles felt something stir inside him. He began to contemplate what exactly it was he'd felt when a large man wearing a street uniform entered the waiting area.

"G'afternoon folks. I hear you're lookin for me?" He asked.

"Officer Tedesco?" Myles asked, offering his hand.

"That's me." He answered shaking both Myles' and Lucy's hands. "What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Lucy asked.

"About?" The officer asked.

"A kidnapping/murder." Myles answered.

He led them down a short narrow hall, into a room overstuffed with desks and people, all bustling with a controlled chaos. Myles noticed an overabundance of 'ladies of the evening' he thought to himself. They passed an entire bench of dunks handcuffed to that bench for their own safety. Lucy scrunched her nose as her nose involuntarily reacted to the smell of the alcohol and vomit. They passed a briefing room that was filled with the balance of the crew, getting briefed on their daily assignments. Officer Charles Tedesco ushered them into a small office and closed the door behind them.

"Sorry about the confined space, it's a bit more crowded than usual." The policeman offered.

"Convention in town?" Myles asked sarcastically. Lucy smacked his arm harder than she'd intended. Officer Tedesco was a big, burly man. He was nearly 6' 5" Lucy surmised. He was pushing 300 lbs., easily. His hair was more salt than pepper thinning just enough to notice, his moustache curled on the ends, with his wooly beard nearly all white. His eyes glistened, and his cheeks were rosy. He reminded Lucy of a young Santa Claus.

"As a matter of fact, we do. You'd think these 'ladies' would figure it out by now... whatever they make, we're taking in fines." He stated, his Southern twang just thick enough to notice.

Myles and Lucy shared a side glance, both trying desperately not to laugh at the irony of the whole thing. It couldn't be more cliché if they'd wanted it to be.

"So, you mentioned murder/kidnapping? I imagine you're here about Davey Light? What a shame." He stated as the sadness washed over him.

"Yes, we've read your report, but we wanted to talk to you, get your feel for what happened. Did you ever have a suspect? Someone who looked good for it?" Lucy asked. Myles looked shocked at her. She smiled inwardly as she noticed him staring, but ignored him.

"Nah... no one really ever stuck out. We were thinking it was random, some freak passing through town." The officer offered.

"What makes you say that?" Myles inquired.

"We just couldn't find anyone who had contact, knowledge of him, the family, or the living arrangements, that had any reason to do something like that." Charles said.

"Do you have a body of water near the house?" Lucy asked.

"As a matter of fact, we do. There's a pond about 1/3 mile down the road or so. What makes you ask that?" He asked Lucy.

"Just a hunch." She answered.

"How far is the highway from that point?" Myles asked.

"Hmmm, can't be more than 3 miles I would guess." He answered.

"Who found the body?" Myles asked.

The officer pushed himself out of the chair he was sitting in, making the feet of the chair stutter across the hard wood as he did. Lucy watched him carefully as he reached over her, and closed the door quietly. She thought maybe even too quietly.

He reached into a filing cabinet that was over stuffed. He pulled out a file filled with hand written notes and photographs.

He walked to the other side of the room and poured three cups of coffee, handing one to each of his fellow investigators. He gulped his cup down in two mouthfuls before he even left the coffee pot. After making himself another, he dropped the massive file down in front of the FBI pair.

"That's what I have. I made copies for you guys, but kept the original. There was a car that blew a tire. The woman got out of the car, and walked down the embankment a little bit, to get away from the traffic to call the auto club." He said, as he flipped through the file. "The guy she was with needed to take a wiz... uhh, I mean, needed to relieve himself. You'll have to excuse my terminology Miss; we don't get too many pretty women down here..." He said in a weak attempt to apologize.

"No worries, I've heard worse." Lucy reassured him.

"So, when the passenger went to relieve himself in the woods, he found the body of the little boy?" Myles surmised.

"Yeah. Weirdest thing too. He was lying like he was asleep, holding a stuffed animal in his arms." Tedesco said.

"Sign of remorse. It's how the killer is dealing with his guilt over killing the boy." Myles stated, shaking his head.

"After what he did to that little kid, he should be sorry." Tedesco said.

"How do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Molested him, tortured him." Tedesco replied somberly shaking his head.

"Wait... he was molested? Are you sure?" Myles asked, confused.

"That's what the coroner said. He said there was evidence that proved it. Doc McGregor thought at first examination that he'd been raped." Charles said.

"Could you direct us to the coroner's office?" Myles asked.

Charles wrote down some simple quick directions on a paper. He gave Myles the file, asking only that he get it back when they were done with it. They all shook hands, and the FBI team left in the direction of the medical examiner's office. It was a short drive across town. The town was busy, every day goings on were happening all around them. Mom's driving children to doctor's appointments and soccer practice, business men and women headed for a late-morning cappuccino or just another boring meeting. It was just an ordinary day...

Lucy and Myles walked silently side by side down the bright, abandoned hall. There was a low hum from the air conditioning unit, and a whir from the fans above their heads. The only other sound was the clicking of Lucy's high heels. They finally reached the door for the medical examiner's officer and walked inside. Dr. David McGregor was in the examine room, conducting an autopsy on an 89 year old woman who was found dead in her home.

Myles let out a shiver which Lucy could see as they sat.

"You OK?" She asked.

"Yeah... just these places give me the woolies." He admitted.

"I know what you mean." Lucy said with a heavy sigh. Myles reached over and gave Lucy's hand a gentle squeeze. Just then, a man in his mid-thirties walked through the door. He was handsome, and single- the first things Lucy noticed. He looked exhausted- the first thing Myles noticed. Lucy smiled coyly at him, almost flirtatiously. Myles noticed and made a 'oh please' face at her. Both agents stood to greet their host, shaking hands. Dr. David McGregor tall and slender well built with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. Lucy noticed his eyes sparkled when he smiled.

"Good afternoon folks, I'm Dr. McGregor." He said shaking hands with Lucy then Myles.

"Myles Leland, this is Lucy Dotson. We're from the FBI, if you have a few minutes, we'd like to speak with you." Myles said, both showing their ID's.

"Nice to meet you Myles, Lucy." He said, looking past Myles right to Lucy. He smiled just a touch too long at Lucy, holding her hand that extra second. Myles seemed to flash the fine doctor an evil snare.

"Um, what can I do for you two today?" He finally asked, breaking his trance.

"We're investigating the disappearance and murder of Davey Light. Officer Tedesco said he was molested?" Myles questioned.

"Ahh, yeah, I remember that case. It was too bad; no one should have to suffer through what he did, never mind someone so young." The ME said.

"Do you have proof of his molestation?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, it's in my report." The doctor answered.

"Why didn't we see that report?" Lucy asked.

"I can't answer that, I don't know why you weren't given a copy. I handed over my findings to the police." He said.

"Was that listed on the boy's death certificate? Lucy asked.

"No, it didn't contribute to his death; there would be no need to add that." He answered.

"Do you know how he was molested?" Myles asked. Lucy looked at him quickly, and disgusted.

"Sodomized, probably with something smooth... wooden." Dr. McGregor began.

"Why is that?" Myles asked.

"I found splinters in his rectum, obvious sign of forced entry trauma. It couldn't have been a good last hour of his life. That little man suffered." He continued.

Myles shook his head mumbling under his breath "Sick bastard." He all but whispered. Lucy teared up and didn't try to hide the fact she was crying as she bit the side of her lip, and wiped the drops that spilled onto her cheeks.

"I can't say I disagree with you Agent Leland. I see this sort of thing too often." The doctor commented.

"Any ideas what it might have been the killer used to sodomize him?" Myles asked.

"It was a treated, hard wood. My thought was a baseball bat, or maybe a pool stick. I honestly hope you find him before he strikes again." The doctor said.

"We do too. Is there anything else you can think of? Did you find anything out of the ordinary on the body?" Myles asked.

"No. I can tell you, he was carefully placed in the position he was found it. There was very little debris in his hair or on his body." Dr. McGregor said.

"If something else comes to mind call us, please." Myles said, handing him his card.

"I will definitely do that. I'm sorry I wasn't more help to you." He said, shaking Lucy and Myles' hands, holding onto Lucy's a little longer than he probably should have. "It was nice meeting you" the doctor said staring at Lucy, "both." He added quickly. Myles again looked at him with a threatening look. He opened the door for the agents to exit. As soon as the couple reached the outside, Lucy finally gave into her need to cry. She began sobbing. Myles grabbed her by the upper arm, and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her. She didn't pull away. After a few minutes of much needed stress relief, Lucy realized she was wrapped in Myles' arms, and pushed away, slowly. The two walked away toward their car, not saying a word.

Once back at the hotel, Lucy and Myles logged onto their computers for the daily teleconference with the rest of the team. They logged their details into the spreadsheet that Tara had created. They were beginning to compile a large amount of information.

Myles set up his laptop on a small table that was in Lucy's room, Lucy had her tablet on her bed. Myles could see she was typing too fast for it to be part of the conference, but tried to ignore the clicking.

Lucy kept her head down as if she were concentrating on the task at hand, but would sneak a peek over at Myles when she thought he wasn't looking. Myles was doing the same thing. Lucy had felt something when she was being held by Myles as she allowed herself a minute to mourn the suffering of those poor children who'd been taken by the vicious animal they were hunting. Lucy looked over her tablet at the same time that Myles did, both jerked their eyes away and back on their own electronic devices, lying to themselves that they hadn't just caught the other looking back.

"Who are you chatting with over there?" Myles asked, trying to draw the awkwardness away from them.

"Sue. Why?" Lucy replied rather bluntly, nearly sounding upset that he'd asked.

"Oh, umm, no reason. I-I was just curious that's all. I can hear your nails clicking 100 mph on the face of the tablet, that's all." Myles answered with a half-smile.

"Yea... well, it's none of your business who I'm talking to." Lucy snapped.

Myles looked rather shocked at her. She hadn't been that mean since they'd first broken up. "You know Luc, I was just trying to make conversation. I wasn't trying to pry." He said in a huff. He picked up his laptop, and walked to their adjoining door. "I'm going back to my own room. At least the hard mattress, cold water, and air conditioner that's stuck on high will be better company." He said angrily as he slammed the door shut. Lucy just looked in his direction, and threw a pillow at the door as it closed, growling at him.

"_Sorry... grrr..." She wrote to Sue._

"_What's going on?" Sue asked._

"_MYLES!" Lucy replied._

"_Myles?" She asked._

"_Long story, I'll tell you when we get home. How'r things with you guys? Make any progress?" she asked..._


End file.
